OBEY GOD

 

OBEY GOD

I Peter 1:14 Obey God because you are his children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of doing evil, you didn’t know any better then.  NLT

      As a child of God, obedience is not an option; it’s a necessity.  No one who claims allegiance to Christ can live in disobedience to Him.  We do not disrespect those whom we love and disobedience is disrespect for God. 

        It is easy to slip back into our old sinful ways.  Let’s be honest about it.  It is easier to sin than it is to obey.  Satan knows our weaknesses and he is a master at exploiting them.  It takes a great amount of effort and patience to stop doing the things we once did.  For most of us, changed behavior is a process.  We normally don’t just stop doing the things we once did.  There are no instant disciples of Christ.  Many of us struggle a long time with sinful issues in our lives.  It is easy to get frustrated and cave into sinful habits when we find ourselves failing.  And I might add, often our sinful habits change as time goes on.  When we gain victory over one area of our lives, another area pops up to do battle with us.  It doesn’t end until we die.

      What we need to remind ourselves of is that perseverance is the key.  It is okay to not be perfect, but it is not okay to not try.  Each time we fall into sin, we confess our sin, accept Christ’s forgiveness, and strive to do better the next time.  We learn to recognize over time how to avoid situations that cause us to sin.  We learn to recognize when we are growing weak and need to renew our strength in Christ.  We learn how to lean on Christ and not ourselves.  We learn how to keep our souls strong through the spiritual disciplines of faith. 

       Living obediently to Christ and His Word is not an easy task, but it is doable.  If we have the will and are determined to obey Him, we will do it.  The more we learn from God what is sinful, the more responsibility we accept when we mess up and do that which is sinful.  We ‘fess up our mess-ups, regroup and strive to do better the next time.   

       Dear child of God, you know better now.  Stay away from that which is evil.  Stay away from those things which once drew you into sin.  You are not that person anymore.  You are a new person in Christ. 

      Victory in Jesus is certain for those who learn how to overcome through Him who gives us the strength and the desire to do it.